The invention relates generally to turbomachines, and more particularly to the design of enhanced surface coolers for use in the turbomachines.
Aircraft gas turbine engine manufacturers are developing new ways of effectively reducing noise. As will be appreciated, nacelles on jet engines currently utilize liners or acoustic panels to absorb sound produced by the blades and vanes or other turbomachinery elements in the turbofan. These panels are typically located on the nacelle walls. Additionally, it is desirable to place heat sinks in similar locations for removing heat from oil, water, and other coolants. Unfortunately, these heat sinks occupy space that may otherwise be used to house acoustic panels or other materials for further acoustic absorption.
Currently available techniques typically use separate heat exchangers and acoustic absorbers to address the cooling and noise reduction needs of the turbomachines. For example, brick style heat exchangers are used to facilitate heat removal from the engines. However, these brick style heat exchangers may not be effective when the heat load is high. Further, more recent techniques employ surface coolers embedded in an outer wall of a bypass duct spanning the entire circumference of an engine, thereby reducing the amount of surface area available for an acoustic liner.
It may therefore be desirable to develop surface coolers that may be used for acoustic absorption as well as for heat exchange. More particularly, it may be desirable to develop robust surface coolers configured to enhance acoustic absorption while also facilitating efficient cooling.